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President Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that France would speed up expulsions and block the entry of extremists in the wake of shootings by an Islamist radical who killed seven people.

"We will speed up expulsion procedures for reasons of public order," Sarkozy said in a speech praising security services for their handling of the attacks carried out in southern France by Mohamed Merah.

"I am saying this in the strongest way possible, all of those who have made defamatory attacks on France or against the values of the republic will not be authorised to enter our country. It is not France's role to accept those who violate its values," he said.